What is trauma?

Whether we experience something as traumatic depends on many factors, such as individual experiences and how we view ourselves in relation to the event; whether we feel responsible, shame or guilt. Many other factors such as culture and gender can also influence whether we experience something as traumatic.

Types of Trauma

There are many ways of describing and defining trauma. Some of the more widely used descriptions of trauma are listed below. Some people experience multiple types of trauma.

Type 1 / Single incident trauma

This refers to a one-off event and may include incidents such as a road traffic accident, a mugging, robbery, physical assault, terrorist attacks, fire, an acute illness or a traumatic birth experience. They usually occur over a short period of time.

Type 2 / Complex trauma

Trauma that is experienced over a sustained period of time and / or happens repeatedly can be referred to as complex trauma. This may include abuse, domestic violence, bullying, racism and discrimination, war and conflict exposure.

Childhood / Developmental/ Relational trauma

Experiencing adverse life events and trauma during childhood, such as abuse, neglect, witnessing domestic violence, living in a household with significant parental / carer mental illness and substance abuse, instability due to exposure to parental conflict or parental incarceration can be highly detrimental, in both the short term and long term. Adverse childhood experiences, that result in a child not having a safe, predictable, loving and responsive environment and care givers can directly impact on brain development, increasing the risk of emotional, cognitive, social and physical difficulties in both childhood and later in life, during adulthood.

Collective trauma

A collective trauma may result when a trauma happens to many people at the same time. This may relate to oppression, discrimination or harm directed towards a specific minority group. It may also be used to refer to environmental disasters or mass illness such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Intergenerational trauma

Intergenerational trauma refers to the transmission of the effects of trauma between generations of a family or community. Exposure to traumatic events can impact on people's thoughts, feelings and behaviour, and this can affect their relationships with others, including their children and how they parent them.

Traumatic Bereavement

Bereavement is difficult for everyone.  However, the context and way that a person dies can sometimes lead to additional distress.  The UK Trauma Council refers to this as Traumatic bereavement:  “Traumatic bereavement is when the natural grieving process is disrupted as a result of the trauma of the death …, leading to lasting negative impact on wellbeing and everyday function”. (UK Trauma Council)

Vicarious Trauma

Vicarious trauma refers to the emotional and psychological impact experienced by others (for example professionals, parents and carers) who are exposed to the suffering, trauma or distress of others. It occurs when someone absorbs another’s pain so deeply that it affects their own wellbeing.